Get to the Point (of View)

When I started writing my novel I blindly spewed out a scene from my head on to my brand new laptop. I’ll be honest with you, it sucks, it’s something I will probably never let anyone besides my husband see. Even though my writing on it is terrible (it will be rewritten when I get to that point), I am grateful. Why? Because it set the tone for my novel and showed me the point of view (POV) that would work best for this story.

Remaining Aileen is told entirely through the eyes of my main character Aileen. It’s a first person account of the events that transpire around her and to her (first person POV). I want readers to feel like they are a part of Aileen. Experiencing everything she is doing, feeling, discovering, and learning about herself and her world. This is challenging to write (at least for this novice writer). But, it’s true to my story and no other POV will satisfy my crazy vision. I will execute it to the best of my abilities. P.S. there are many other great options for POV.

My challenge of writing in a first person narrative is showing not telling. No one wants to read an 80k word thought bubble. So, I’ve been learning to focus on how to show, not tell. For example, Aileen is in a terrible plane crash (I say this in my synopsis, so no spoilers here). This is a major life changing event that launches us into the story and forever changes her life. I don’t want you to read her thoughts in that moment. I want you to feel like you are on that plane with her, experiencing what might be her final moments of life, falling from the sky (at least that’s my goal). Showing, not telling.

On a side note, I’d like to say thank you to the many writing blogs I have found. I consider them my crash courses in novel writing. Already I can see my story telling improving from the wise words of those who know far more than me. The differences between my first “chapter” compared to my more recent chapters are night and day.

Here are links to a few of my go to blogs. Check these awesome ladies out: